Skrtel captains Slovakia in vital victory over Russia

The Liverpool defender played the full game as his country restored their hopes of qualifying for the tournament’s knockout stages from Group B.

Slovakia broke the deadlock under a closed roof in Lille with 32 minutes on the clock, as Vladimir Weiss latched onto a sublime forward pass by Marek Hamsik, cut inside two defenders from the left and drove a finish into the opposite corner.

Hamsik strengthened their grip on the game in the closing seconds of the first half with a stunning strike from the left hand side, lashed high beyond the reach of the goalkeeper and in off the post.

Russia rallied to a degree after the interval and eventually halved the deficit in the 80th minute through substitute Denis Glushakov’s precise header at the end of a neat move.

But Skrtel and co preserved their advantage as time ticked away and ultimately secured the three points, climbing to second in the standings in the process.

Slovakia are back in action on Monday night when they meet England in Saint-Etienne – with Russia facing Wales simultaneously – as the group comes to a conclusion.